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Just finished Dune, looking for some great single novel sci-fi books (no series). What ONE would you recommend?
- Thread starter astro
- Start date
I thought Artemis had a really interesting idea and plot but the characterization of Jazz was soooooo bad. I feel like Weir totally missed the mark with that character and fell into so many tropes and really bad generalizations. I was almost cringing while reading it, and that is really hard to do with a book.
Let's see what I've got in my kindle here...
Legacy by Greg Bear: Interesting world where the only living creatures are entire biomes where everything living in it is just a part of the larger whole.
Fragment: Kind of a Jurassic Park-alike on an island full of ridiculously lethal and alien creatures.
Seveneves: Humanity has three years to get a self-sustaining population into orbit before the world is set on fire for 5000 years. Bleak as fuuuuuuuuck.
Anathem: I personally really enjoyed the book, but really like a good two-thirds of it are people standing in rooms debating philosophy. It goes places.
The City and the City: Not really sci-fi, but definitely the most speculative of speculative fiction. It's high concept as all hell, but it pulls it off remarkably well.
Snow Crash: OK, I haven't actually read it since high school, but I loved it.
Children of Time: Top contender for my favorite books I've read this past decade.
Legacy by Greg Bear: Interesting world where the only living creatures are entire biomes where everything living in it is just a part of the larger whole.
Fragment: Kind of a Jurassic Park-alike on an island full of ridiculously lethal and alien creatures.
Seveneves: Humanity has three years to get a self-sustaining population into orbit before the world is set on fire for 5000 years. Bleak as fuuuuuuuuck.
Anathem: I personally really enjoyed the book, but really like a good two-thirds of it are people standing in rooms debating philosophy. It goes places.
The City and the City: Not really sci-fi, but definitely the most speculative of speculative fiction. It's high concept as all hell, but it pulls it off remarkably well.
Snow Crash: OK, I haven't actually read it since high school, but I loved it.
Children of Time: Top contender for my favorite books I've read this past decade.
OP
OP
My girlfriend is reading some Clarke atm, and I'm kind of ashamed to say I've not read a single book of his. I watched Childhood's End the TV show, so I kind of spoiled the reveal of that one which is a shame... which one book of his stands out the most to you?
Thank you very much, noted all of these and will check them out!
Most of what I can think of has been recommended already. I remember liking Foundation but im not sure how well it is as stand alone book since it's been nearly 20 years since I've read it. It has plenty of sequel books but I think I only read one other.
Guess I'll need to check out Hyperion after all the mentions here.
Guess I'll need to check out Hyperion after all the mentions here.
I know you said no series but when you are in the mood, check out Hannu Rajaniemi's Quantum Thief Trilogy. First sci-fi writer since Banks I've been impressed by and the books are very quick reads too.
The Expanse (Corey), Old Man's War (Scalzi), Frontlines (Kloos) are all fantastic pop-sci space and are long series (Old Mans War is done, Expanse will be done this year, and Frontlines is on going). More of a focus on military (Scalzi and Kloos) but all of them are fantastic books. People are down on Ender's Game, especially because the author is scum, but I enjoyed the series a whole.
One off's? Armor (Steakley), Starship Troopers (Heinlein), The Forever War (Haldeman, ignore the rest in the series), Beacon 23 (anthology of shorts, Howey)
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Personal recommendation: Tuf Voyaging by GRRM.
It's a series of novellas but you can get them all in one book and there's a continuous story there with a property beginning and end.
I hear Heilein's stuff and Jack Vance's stories are good as is The Expanse.
It's a series of novellas but you can get them all in one book and there's a continuous story there with a property beginning and end.
I hear Heilein's stuff and Jack Vance's stories are good as is The Expanse.
The Foundation series (at least the original trilogy) is a classic. You can read the first book as a stand-alone but you would be missing out on the resolution which is ultimately what the series is about.
ooooo going to come back to this thread later. I also just finished Dune and have been looking for more great sci fi. Dune was rad
I'm going to echo a lot of the recs in this thread, because all of them are great. Hyperion, Snow Crash, and the Diamond Age are some of my favorites. I want to add The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch. It's a time travel book that reads like Back to the Future Part 2 had a baby with the first season of True Detective and HP Lovecraft was it's babysitter. It's about this NCIS agent trying to solve a murder case. Turns out the Navy has had access to time travel for a while and regularly uses it in their investigations. I don't want to give anything away, but it really plays with time travel tropes in ways that are really disturbing.
Rendezvous with Rama.
The sequels are bad, but there is no cliffhanger or anything that would make you feel like you need to read them.
If I were you I would just check out the overview of a bunch of his stuff and just pick one that appeals to you the most. Rama is about exploring an unknown alien technology, Earthlight is Moon/space settlement politics, The Fountains of Paradise is the construction of a space elevator. All good stuff.
OP
OP
Also any Audio Books that are especially good that fit here!
I'm currently spending an hour every other day doing stretching and yoga, and I'd like to listen to something while I do it. So please recommend if you know of anything.
I'm currently spending an hour every other day doing stretching and yoga, and I'd like to listen to something while I do it. So please recommend if you know of anything.
Wonderful, listed, thank you very much.
Would second this. Another great classic, though less speculative sci-fi, is Earth Abides.
OP
OP
I just don't want to be drawn into a long series, and I will be drawn in if I like the first book... I can't help it. And too many series drop off in quality, or have mid series slumps you have to wade though. Not really interested in that atm.
I guess if there's a shorter series and ALL the books are super high quality, I could go for it.
The first two standalone books I could think of were Childhood's End and Children of Time. Both have been mentioned, so that's my answer.
While not pure sci-fi, Kurt Vonnegut uses a lot of sci-fi elements in his work. Slaughterhouse-Five is my favorite book by a wide margin and I typically don't like fiction. Cat's Cradle is another good one.
Stories of your Life and Others is also a fantastic anthology of short stories if you want some quick material. There are hit and misses, mostly hits, but one of the shorts is the source material for The Arrival.
Yeah super fun, quick read, and one of those mind-bending books that leaves you just stunned when it ends. Heads up his next book comes out June 11th!
Yeah super fun, quick read, and one of those mind-bending books that leaves you just stunned when it ends. Heads up his next book comes out June 11th!
OP
OP
Really looking for sci-fi only atm, kind of on a kick.
And I've read SH5, really enjoyed it.
May I recommend The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe? This is only one novel, I just thought this image showed all the cool cover arts.
If that is cheating (as it is a collection of 3 inter-related Novellas), you could also give Peace a try.
I will recommend essentially Wolfe's entire bibliography, specifically Book of the New Sun. However, if you want to test his prose before you dive in, Fifth Head is a fantastic place to start.
If that is cheating (as it is a collection of 3 inter-related Novellas), you could also give Peace a try.
I will recommend essentially Wolfe's entire bibliography, specifically Book of the New Sun. However, if you want to test his prose before you dive in, Fifth Head is a fantastic place to start.
OP said they were well versed in PKD, or else I would have listed a dozen and been yelled at for making too big of a list.
But yes, if anyone else reading this thread is also looking for good one-off sci-fi, Philip K Dick has plenty and Ubik is a great one to start with.
The audiobook for Hyperion is great. This along with Dune are my favorite scifi.
If it hasn't been recommended, The Forever War is another solid read.
If it hasn't been recommended, The Forever War is another solid read.
OP
OP
Those are so cool, if you like old sci fi book covers you should really check out this awesome set of postcards. I own it and have a bunch of them on my wall.May I recommend The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe? This is only one novel, I just thought this image showed all the cool cover arts.
If that is cheating (as it is a collection of 3 inter-related Novellas), you could also give Peace a try.
I will recommend essentially Wolfe's entire bibliography, specifically Book of the New Sun. However, if you want to test his prose before you dive in, Fifth Head is a fantastic place to start.
Embassytown, by China Mielville
My favourite sci-fi book. Mielville is known for creating super weird and imaginative worlds, and Embassytown is one of his best. If you like interesting, unique worlds that don't just use tired sci-fi cliches, then I'd definitely recommend it.
Silently and Very Fast, by Catherynne M. Valente
Valnete just simply writes incredible, super lyrical prose that's such a joy to read. Sci-fi isn't usually a place where you find good prose, but this is definitely a huge exception. Plus it's a novella, which means it's only about a hundred pages long, making it a very easy read that won't take forever to finish.
House of Suns, by Alastair Reynolds
Reynolds is easily one of the best hard sci-fi writers living today, and I think House of Suns is his best work. It's not as sciency and hard as his other works, but instead presents a very interesting and unique far future society that still somewhat stays within the bounds of science (no FTL travel, for example).
The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula le Guin
Le Guin is one of fantasy/sci-fi's greatest writer, and The Left Hand of Darkness is pretty good. Technically it's part of a series, but as a story it's completely standalone, and tells a complete story.
My favourite sci-fi book. Mielville is known for creating super weird and imaginative worlds, and Embassytown is one of his best. If you like interesting, unique worlds that don't just use tired sci-fi cliches, then I'd definitely recommend it.
Silently and Very Fast, by Catherynne M. Valente
Valnete just simply writes incredible, super lyrical prose that's such a joy to read. Sci-fi isn't usually a place where you find good prose, but this is definitely a huge exception. Plus it's a novella, which means it's only about a hundred pages long, making it a very easy read that won't take forever to finish.
House of Suns, by Alastair Reynolds
Reynolds is easily one of the best hard sci-fi writers living today, and I think House of Suns is his best work. It's not as sciency and hard as his other works, but instead presents a very interesting and unique far future society that still somewhat stays within the bounds of science (no FTL travel, for example).
The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula le Guin
Le Guin is one of fantasy/sci-fi's greatest writer, and The Left Hand of Darkness is pretty good. Technically it's part of a series, but as a story it's completely standalone, and tells a complete story.
I struggled mightily with this book. I got a quarter of the way through before stopping. I was intrigued by the premise but it is definitely hard sci-fi.
Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
The Stars, My Destination by Alfred Bester
The Culture novels by Iain Banks are all stand-alone stories set in the same universe spanning thousands of years. The first 3 are the best.
A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge is amazing and works as a stand-alone novel. The sequel, A Deepness In The Sky, is also set like a thousand years before and is only loosely related, also works as a stand-alone novel. The direct sequel to AFUTD came many years later and I think you can ignore it, it was disappointing.
The Stars, My Destination by Alfred Bester
The Culture novels by Iain Banks are all stand-alone stories set in the same universe spanning thousands of years. The first 3 are the best.
A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge is amazing and works as a stand-alone novel. The sequel, A Deepness In The Sky, is also set like a thousand years before and is only loosely related, also works as a stand-alone novel. The direct sequel to AFUTD came many years later and I think you can ignore it, it was disappointing.
I just read it a couple months ago and I would say it only gets really interesting and compelling in the back half. But i did enjoy it.
Those are so cool, if you like old sci fi book covers you should really check out this awesome set of postcards. I own it and have a bunch of them on my wall.
Holy shit. Ordered.
Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun is split up into 4 books, but it is really meant to be read as one. And if you combine them together they are all about as long as the first Dune book.
True, I missed that in the OP. For PKD it is easier to make a list of books to leave out.
Those are so cool, if you like old sci fi book covers you should really check out this awesome set of postcards. I own it and have a bunch of them on my wall.
I didn't need to see this...
